6 months + spokane.

I can't believe I am typing this. My little Leo is 6 months old!

This past week, I swear he has grown by leaps and bounds. Stats: 17.5 lbs (50th percentile). 26 inches long (50th percentile). head circumference- I can't remember but I do remember he was in the 40th percentile. So his head may appear large but it's actually not!

Not only has he grown physically but intellectually! He is very curious about everything around him. Reaching for everything. Of course it all goes straight to his mouth.

He is also starting to play with the concept of pushing himself up onto his knees and hands! No no no no no crawling! Mom and Dad are not ready!

Last week he decided that he no longer wants mom to rock him to sleep anymore. Which is so sad, just another manifestation that he is growing up. He arches his back and begins to fuss if I rock back and forth.

He still does not sleep through the night. Leo is waking up about once a night to eat. Doctor says there is nothing wrong with it. He says if Leo is hungry then keep feeding him and that he is still young. I don't mind it, it's kind of a part of my life now. I wake up at 3 am every night whether he is up yet or not. Darn you internal alarm clock. But it would be nice to sleep through the night again. I might decide to change that eating schedule soon.

He can basically sit up all by himself now. He is a little dangerous in that Bumbo. He likes to head dive out of it. He just did it right now... no joke.

A new game! I put his binkie in my mouth, Leo stares at it confused, takes it from me and puts it in his. It's really too cute.

Also, while he is playing on his own in his bumbo or his jumpy chair (our new fun toy!), he will pause and look around the room to find us and once he does, he gets soooo excited. As if he is saying to himself, "This is so fun, Mom and Dad should come play with me too. Where are they?" (looks around the room) "There you are! Look at how much fun this is!!"

Leo likes to do this laugh. But it's not a belly laugh it's more like a courtesy laugh. It might be in one the videos I have uploaded. He does it quite often. Braden claims he gets it from me and all I can say to that is I get it from my mom! haha.

Sometimes I can't take how much love, happiness, and cuteness this little bundle of joy exudes. I mean honestly, I think it's so much deeper than we mortals can understand. It is divine.

Last week we went to Spokane, WA. Braden had training there for work and I decided to go along. It was nice to go somewhere I had never been before. Oh yah and they had three malls! That's three more than my town. After going to each of the malls twice, Leo and I got pretty bored. Three days in Spokane would have been plenty, we were there for nine!

On the positive side, our hotel was right next to River Front Park. And the fall colors were beautiful. (see Leo and fall leaves photos above). It was really nice to walk around the river.

Thanks to my sister and bro-in-law's suggestion we went to the Wolf Lodge Inn. It's about 45 minutes away from Spokane in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. It doesn't seem like anything special. In order to get there we drove down this tiny, two lane, windy road. There is nothing around it, probably for miles. Inside there is a huge fireplace with a blazing fire going. It was so warm and cozy. It felt like a comfy cabin in nowhere land. Oh and then there was their steaks. They are cooked over an open fire and they are HUGE portions. Let's just say that was the BEST filet mignon I have ever tasted. Oh man my mouth is watering just thinking about it! YUMMMMMMMMMMM. The highlight of our trip to Spokane by far!

Sorry about the ridiculously long post. If you have made this far, CONGRADULATIONS!
Oh and today it's snowing. Our first snow. I am not looking forward to winter with a baby but I must say that it is absolutely beautiful outside!

yum yum yum

Zombie Apocalypse Survivors.

We had a great Halloween!

I couldn't be happier that it's over. I get so stressed over what we will wear, where we will go, if we will just stay home...blah blah blah whooooo cares. You have no idea how many times I went hunting for Halloween costumes this year. Only to be talked into being a "Zombie Apocalypse Survivor." Gotta love my husband and his love for all things ZOMBIE, like the new AMC series "The Walking Dead." (Honestly, it's totally awesome, gorry but awesome- you gotta DVR it.)

I, like every other first time mother, was searching for the cutest costume for my little kitty- to no avail. None of them are cute enough. You may be offended by the fact that my 5 month old child has a "bloody injury" on his head and his costume is not something to "awww" over but, there is one important thing you are forgetting... IT'S HALLOWEEN! Aren't things supposed to be over-the-top scary, frightening and silly? Yes.

Anyways, I can now move on with my life. Although I am ready for Thanksgiving, I am definitley not ready for Christmas.... bah humbug.

P.S. My sweet baby boy will be 6 months old in about 2 weeks... tear.
P.S.S. In the collage: Our awesome friends - Lane, Jannica, and Kim Larson.

little kitty.

My baby is 5 months!

Leo has found his feet, and he loves to play with them. He will hold his feet up for me while I am changing his daiper. What a gentlemen, eh?

I have got him back on a schedule now (the move kind of threw him off a bit). He still wakes up once a night to eat. Eventually, I would like to ween him off that but for now it's manageable.

His vocabulary is growing. He says mamama, dadadada, and bababa. Of course it's all baby gibberish for now, but it's still cute to hear his voice.

He can now roll from his back to his belly! He loves to sit up in his bumbo and look around.

We recently bought him some Dr. Seuss books and he loves those. Oh yah and he also loves to scratch things. It seems as if it is his way of feeling the texture of things. So that's what he loves to do to the books, scratch at the cardboard pages. He also loves to scratch at the wall while I am changing his daiper or scratch at mom's denim pants. He is my little kitty.

Braden is working alot more now, so our time together as a family is cherished. Also, it's great to be able to get a little bit of a break on his days off. Braden will go get the baby at about 730am and they will go play so that I can sleep in. Even an extra half hour makes all the difference.

We went on a walk along the river at sunset the other night. It was the perfect evening for a walk. Fall is definitely here. The leaves are changing and there is a chill in the air now. I love it. I am not ready for winter AT ALL, so please, Fall, stick around for a little longer this year... please.

That's all for now.

4 month mark.

4 months is here. (well, technically now it's 4 months and 14 days)
Leo had his check up the other day. He is a happy healthy baby. He is weighing in at 15 lbs. 6 oz. and he is 25 inches long.

Leo the lion is no longer just something we say around this household. This little baby growls on a regular basis, sticking true to "Leo the Lion". He growls when he's happy, when he's sad, and even when he's bored.

Gosh, time is flying by so fast. He is rolling over, standing up (with assistance), grabbing at everything and putting his fists in his mouth. Oh and now he's bald. haha. He was born with so much hair and now he has this large shiny bald head with a tiny patch of hair on the back of his head. I have contemplated buzzing it off but I think I'll leave it alone. What if I shave it off and it never grows back?! My poor kid.

Anyways.... we are having so much fun together as a family. We love every second we get together.

Leo truly knows who we are. It is such a precious thing. Whenever I speak Leo looks all over the room until he can find his mama. He just stares at me while I talk. Same thing happens when Brady speaks, except Leo gets a HUGE grin on his face while he stares. It's the best.

Leo is getting more adventurous in the tub he loves to kick and splash and play. I cherish the bath time. It's mommy and baby time. Just the two of us spending time together. So much fun.

No solid foods yet, says the doctor. Thank goodness. Honestly, I am totally not ready for solid foods yet. Too messy, I am not ready for the mess.

Sometimes Leo gets really excited. This usually happens whenever daddy is around or right after he wakes up from his nap while I am changing his diaper. He gets really excited flailing his arms and legs all over the place. And the best part is when he takes in a really big breath and sticks his arms and legs out straight and shakes. Almost like he had a jolt of sugar shot through his body or something. It's so funny.

Leo is an amazing son!

Now, I need to figure out what he is going to be for Halloween!!

it's true, we moved.

yes, we moved to washington a couple of weeks ago. let me just give you a sneak peek at what we get to see everyday.

we live in the foothills of these :



nestled next to this:



surrounded by rolling hills covered in these:



so to say the least, it's beautiful. every move is an adjustment and we are adjusting. but the gorgeous view outside our door makes it all much easier. everyone is welcoming and very kind. so far, so good.

braden got a job transfer and i am able to stay at home with my handsome boy, Leo. we are very blessed to have come upon the situation we are in now. it's a new, fun adventure for our family and we are happy because we are together- as a family. of course, we miss all our friends and family back in salt lake.

leo is getting sooooo big!! he's is just so much fun. we are lucky to have such a good baby boy. he smiles at anyone who gives him attention, but he smiles the biggest for his daddy. brady will just be in the room and leo stares and smiles. he admires his daddy, it is so sweet. if you work hard enough, he will give you a good belly laugh. he is such a joy, my superbaby.




honestly, we couldn't be happier.

who's baby is that?

can you guess who's baby Leo is? that's right- he's mine. haha. I need to do this same thing with Braden's baby photo as well. i absolutely love that this baby is mine and the proof is there for everyone to see. minus the yoda ears and flock of seagulls hair-do.